A Comparative Study of Remarriage Effects on Psychological Hygiene of Martyr's Spouses and Widows

This is a comparative study to show the rate of remarriaging among martyr's spouses and widows. The main questions of the study were as follows: the rate of remarriage, basic preventive factors of remarriage, the condition of matrimonial adjustment, the rate of matrimonial adjustment and finally the variables which had relation with matrimonial adjustment. The research is descriptive and the used instruments were SCL90 tests, researcher made and Enrich matrimonial adjustment questionnaire. The examinees were 450 widows (243 martyr's widows, and 207 widows of deceased people) who randomly selected among widows of Tehran. The results showed that 24.5% of widows had remarried. 36% of those had matrimonial maladjustment problem, and 16% of them were at the verge of separation. Only the age of women was found as the variable correlated with the matrimonial adjustment. Other variables such as martyrdom, education, family relationship with the present spouse, and marital status of the present husband did not have a significant relationship with their matrimonial adjustment. The major factors preventing these widows from remarriage were, worries about the future of their children, lack of tolerance and desire for remarriage, not knowing appropriate candidates, and loyalty to their late husbands. Results also showed that the major disorder symptoms among widows are physical disorders, obsession, depression, anxiety and paranoia which were observed more frequently in ordinary widows as compared with martyr's widows.